Camp Cullen
by blueonblue
Summary: Carlisle and Esme Cullen own a campground in Maine with their sons, Edward, Jasper and Emmett. But when they go on vacation and leave the business in their sons' hands, its anyone's guess what will happen when three single, beautiful campers arrive.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I don't own anything.

Edward sat at the end of the boat dock and watched the indigo sky give way to the dawn over Crescent Lake. He loved this time of the day best. No one else at Camp Cullen opened their eyes much before six, especially his siblings who ran the campground with him.

For this summer anyway.

Usually his parents ran the business, while he and his brothers Jasper and Emmett went to college. But this summer, Carlisle and Esme decided to vacation elsewhere. While they loved their home in Maine, the huge log cabin Carlisle built next to the camp store, the weather here changed about every hour.

You could wake up with the sun and by mid-morning angry clouds would move in and a nasty storm would take out a whole hillside of trees. The only thing predictable about Maine weather was the winter. Cold and snowy became the norm any time from October through April.

But that was fine with Carlisle and Esme. They loved being snowed in with a roaring fire in the huge fireplace. They loved snowmobiling and skiing. Hell, they just loved being in love. They had just celebrated their twenty-fifth anniversary so Carlisle surprised Esme with a three-month Mediterrean cruise.

Edward glanced up at the sky again. He didn't have to worry about that rain today. The forecast called for mostly sunny skies, temperatures in the eighties and no humidity, which meant most of the campers, would take advantage of the beach and enjoy the lake. It was also Saturday which meant a few of the transient campers would leave and new ones would arrive. And being the first weekend of August, it was one of the biggest nights of the year here — "Beach Party" night.

Edward threw the stone he held in his hands and watched it skip over the water four times before it sank.

He hated beach party night.

They hired their usual DJ, who would come in and set up on the beach complete with party lights, leis, glow necklaces and bracelets and play four hours of the best dance music.

Shit, he hated that too.

But he had no choice. This was the biggest sell-out weekend other than Memorial Day and Labor Day. But parties meant drunk campers and drunk campers combined with easy access to the lake were a dangerous combination. Even though they roped off the water so no one could get into it, some idiot always insisted on trying to swim in the moonlight. Which meant Edward would spend his night monitoring the beach area in case anyone tried it.

Emmett and Jasper would help keep things under control —until they met a party girl or two then they'd dance and offer their services if they needed to be carried back to their camp sites. Even now, just thinking about it, his gut clenched in anger.

He discussed the 'theme weekends' with his parents before they left for their cruise.

"Camp Cullen doesn't need them," he'd said. "We have a beautiful lake and a snack bar. Why do we need the liability?" "Edward," his father said in his calm, controlled voice, "Our guests come from all over the place to stay here and they keep coming back because they have a good time. It's not broken, so we're not going to fix it, son."

The sun peeked out from behind the trees and a loon appeared through the foggy mist rising off the lake. The mother bird's black head made her red eyes stand out, while her babies, balls of gray fluff, swam by leaving a small wake as they went. From across the lake her mate called his haunting birdcall which sounded more like a pan flute than the call of a water bird. The female called back and it echoed off the lake as she turned and headed toward her mate.

Edward shoved a hand through his hair. If he didn't have so much to do, he'd take a kayak and paddle along the shore just to hear the sound of the wind through the trees. He'd head across the huge lake to the secluded island with sandbar he found. He could relax there, in the water, without anyone bothering him.

The sun rose above the tree line. That meant his meditation time was over and his work day about to begin. He took his time walking back to the camp office.

"Mornin' Edward."

He looked up and saw Harry Clearwater, one of their seasonal campers. A former cook in a diner down in Portsmouth, Harry helped out by making breakfast at the snack bar on weekends.

"Another beautiful day in paradise," Harry said.

Edward took a deep breath and exhaled. "Life doesn't get any better than this."

The arrived at the little wooden house and Harry gave him a pat on his shoulder. "Will you have the usual today?"

"You bet."

"Same time?"

"Yep."

"See you later then."

Harry disappeared inside the snack house and Edward kept walking. As he went, he heard more rustling and stirring at campsites along the way. Quiet hours were eleven to eight on the weekends but once the sun came up, some campers especially those that tent camped, got up too. Tents heated up quickly when the sun beat down on them and made it hard to sleep.

He arrived at the office/store and the morning papers had already been delivered. He hefted the bundle inside and began his routine. First the papers got separated and put into the newspaper rack by the door. Papers were free to all campers and most people took advantage of it.

He no longer had to make the huge pot of coffee since his parents bought one of those coffee machines that just require those little cups. The thing was fast and one less thing he had to worry about. He made himself a cup then checked the stock of dairy products in the refrigerator. Emmett said he'd do it before he locked up the night before, but Emmett was, well, Emmett, and if he got distracted it didn't get done. The milk man would be there in the next half hour so he'd better be prepared, just in case.

And so it went. Jasper showed his face around 8:45. He looked like he just rolled out of bed, the way his blonde curly hair stuck up all over the place, but at least he could count on him.

"Mornin'," Jasper nodded in greeting.

"Hi. I'm heading down to eat breakfast. You want anything?" He didn't mean for his voice to sound so gruff.

Jasper grabbed a carton of orange juice from the refrigerator. "Nah, I'm good. I'll hold down the fort."

Edward headed to the door. "What time did you get in last night?"

"Early. A little after midnight. Don't expect to see Emmett til noon though. He came in really late."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Alone I hope. I didn't check. I was afraid of what I'd find."

Emmett was the youngest of the three of them and still thought he didn't have to have any responsibility. Now that their parents were gone, he'd been bringing girls home to his bed. Edward didn't care about him bringing them home, but Emmett never gave fair warning.

Last weekend when Edward got up, he walked into the kitchen in nothing but his boxers. Some girl stood at their fridge rifling through the food in there.

Not good.

So he implemented a new rule. No girls at the house unless you call first. He didn't get any call last night, but that didn't mean Emmett didn't have a girl with him.

"No girl. I checked." Jasper grinned.

Edward smiled and left for the snack bar. At 9:00 sharp, bacon, eggs, hash browns and rye toast waited for him. He was a creature of habit but that's what made him dependable. Campground owners were just like landlords, the only difference being he didn't own their houses. Campers rented their sites, brought their house with them and if they needed help, whether it was pumping out their sewer, (he usually made Emmett do that) or fixing a toilet in the bathrooms, they could rely on him to do it.

The morning went by quickly and Jasper was right. Emmett meandered into the office around 12:30; completely hung over.

"Rough night?"

"You have no idea." Emmett popped a cup into the coffee machine and pushed the button.

His eyes were bloodshot and he had what looked like a hickey on his neck below his ear.

"I hope you didn't drive yourself home in that condition."

"Shut up Edward. You're not my father."

"No, but I'm in charge when he's not here and I don't want to get a call in the middle of the night to bail your ass out of jail because you can't make good decisions."

Edward heard the bells jingle over the door alerting them of someone's arrival, so he stopped his lecture. He'd wait until the person left before he continued.

Emmett's mouth suddenly dropped open. Edward followed his gaze and did a double-take.

Three girls about their age stood at the counter. Jasper greeted them but Emmett tripped over himself to get to the front of the store.

Jasper began talking to the girl with the dark, spiky hair and Emmett stood next to the blonde. Of course he did.

Edward, who was too dignified to be acting like a buffoon, like his brothers, remained behind the counter and now made eye contact with the long-haired brunette, who now looked totally annoyed with her two friends.

"Can I help you?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. We're checking in."

He pulled up the reservation program on the computer and did a quick inventory of the girl from the corner of his eye. Soft brown eyes complimented her chestnut hair. She didn't wear any makeup but she had a natural beauty, unlike her blonde friend who wore tons of it. The brunette wore a pair of jeans with a tank top and Converse sneakers, not shoes with a wedge like the blonde.

"Last name?"

"Swan."

"Isabella?" He glanced over at her and noticed her looking in disgust at her friends who were now both engaged in deep conversation with his brothers. She was definitely the sensible one of the group.

"Is your name Isabella?" he repeated.

"Yeah. Sorry. It's Bella."

Her gaze connected with his and he saw something there behind those soulful eyes. Was it sadness? Grief? She bit her lip. Apprehension?

"You're on one of our best tent sites. There's a wooden platform to put your tent on and it overlooks the lake." He pulled out a map of the campground. "We're here at the office. You're going to go through the security gate and follow that road until you come to a fork. Bear right then follow that road until you pass the beach access. The parking area for the tent sites will be up on the right. Pull in there and you'll see the site. You're all paid but you'll need to give me $10.00 security deposit for the gate key. You'll get it back when you leave."

"Cool."

She handed him a ten dollar bill and filled out the information sheet. Once she completed the form, she slid it across the counter without so much as a glance up at him. She went over to her friends, mumbled something he couldn't hear and left. The other two girls said goodbye and exited to join Bella.

"Did you see her? She's smokin' hot!" Emmett suddenly had a new twinkle in his bloodshot eyes and didn't look nearly as hung over as before.

"Alice said they're here until Thursday." Jasper grinned.

"What site are they on?" Emmett grabbed the computer screen and turned it toward him.

"They're down in the tent area." Edward grabbed the screen and brought it back to its original position then went to the window. All three of them watched Bella drive a red truck to the security gate. She placed the card on the pad, the gate went up and the truck disappeared down the dirt road.

Emmett put his arm around his shoulders. "Dude, I think she likes you."

"You're crazy." She hadn't given him a second glance.

"Emmett's right. I saw the way she looked at you." Jasper grabbed a Snickers bar from the candy shelf.

"You're both idiots. She didn't look at me at all. I've got to check on something."

He left the office, jumped in the golf cart and drove down the dirt road into the campground. He had to check on something. Well, maybe not _something_, but _someone_.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Bella followed the map just like the guy in the office instructed. She drove by the beach access and backed the truck into the space for easier access to their camping supplies.

"Rose can you take out the broom to sweep off that wooden platform?"

Alice had already run to the platform and now looked out over the lake. "This site is perfect!"

Rose grabbed the broom but looked less than thrilled about it. "I thought you said you would set up the tent?"

Bella straightened and stood there holding the bag with the tent in it. "I am, but when you guys insisted on coming with me, you said you'd help and I'm not letting you back out now."

Rose rolled her eyes and marched off to the platform.

"Rose make sure you do a good job. The last thing you want is to sleep on an acorn or a rock." Bella hid her smile behind her hand at the horrified look on Rose's face.

"You said we were sleeping on air mattresses."

"We are, but if for some reason you roll off, you won't want things like that digging in your back, trust me."

Rose finished sweeping, Alice went back to the truck to start unpacking the rest of the stuff and Bella went to work setting up the tent. She prided herself on being an experienced camper. She grew up in Washington where she and her Dad went on camping and fishing trips. In more recent years, she and her boyfriend Jake spent the last three summers backpacking and camping through the Cascades.

_Jake_. She hadn't allowed herself to think about him since they broke up in early summer and knew this camping trip would bring up those memories. Being at Dartmouth on the east coast while he still lived in La Push on the west coast proved to be rough on both of them. A long distance relationship sucked, even with texting, Twitter and Skype and it finally took a toll on him.

Something felt wrong between them right after she took her finals. Jake seemed distant. Whenever she tried to Skype him, he wasn't there. His texts became one word answers.

"There's someone else isn't there?" She hated to ask, afraid to hear the answer. But she had to know.

His grainy face stared back at her on her computer screen. "I'm sorry, Bells. I thought I could do this. I've tried for the past two years but it's just...I'm lonely."

"And you don't think I am?" She fought back tears but lost that battle.

"Bella, don't. This is hard enough. I feel really bad about this."

"How long have you been seeing her?"

"Not that long." He got quiet after that and she gave up trying to talk to him. Every time she attempted to speak, emotion got lodged in her throat and she couldn't stop the tears. They had been through a lot together; his father's death, her mother moving away, Charlie getting shot while on duty. Through it all, they had been there for each other.

Her heart would never be the same. It would forever be missing the chunk that belonged to Jacob Black.

The breakup began to affect her physically. She had lost weight and had a hard time sleeping. Two weeks went by and she couldn't take it. She sent him a huge email detailing her feelings about him and their relationship.

When he received it, he texted her: "We'll talk soon."

Those three little words were just like a sucker punch to the gut. She gasped and sobbed until the emptiness enveloped her. That was two months ago.

She tried to move past the numbness the best she could. Alice, her best friend since they were in seventh grade, was the one who suggested this girl's camp out. They met Rose in high school and the three of them became inseparable. When Rose heard, by way of Alice's blabbing, that she and Jake broke up, she insisted on coming to be there for her, which surprised Bella. Rose attended New York University's Fashion and Design school and was not the camping type at all.

Bella spread the tent out on the platform and began to put the poles together when she looked up and saw the guy from the office staring at her from his golf cart.

Rose came up to her carrying her air mattress. "That guy is giving me the heebie-jeebies."

"I know, right? He keeps staring at me."

Alice bounced up holding two sleeping bags. "Maybe he likes you."

Bella snorted and shoved the tent poles through the pocket along the backside of the tent. "That's the last thing I want. I came here to forget about Jake remember?"

"There's no better way to do that than hooking up with someone new."

"Alice, you of all people know I'm not like that." She threw the fly over the top of the tent. "Jake and I were together over two years before we even thought about doing that."

Rose leaned up against the wooden railing of the platform. "Well, maybe it's time you let loose a little. A fling could be just what you need."

"A fling is the last thing I need."

Bella pounded the last stake in and glanced back down toward the dirt road. The guy from the office still sat in his golf cart gawking at her. "Take a picture dude, it'll last longer," she mumbled.

Her friends giggled and when she turned back, the golf cart was gone.

"Huh. You don't think —"

"Bella get that look off your face. He couldn't have heard you."

Alice knew her too well.

"What look?"

"That guilty look. You didn't do anything wrong. He was being rude by staring."

"Yeah, he seems like a creeper," Rose added. "And it doesn't look like he's washed his hair in weeks."

Bella wouldn't admit it to them, but she kind of liked his hair. "You just said I should a fling with him."

The three of them laughed. She had had her doubts about this getaway, but now that they were here, she got a good vibe about it.

An hour later, they finished setting up camp so Bella grabbed her folding camping chair with the foot rest, a book and a bottle of water. She unfolded the chair under a tree and sat down. Her whole body relaxed the minute she stretched out her legs.

She opened her book and Alice stood over her.

"Bella, seriously?"

She shrugged. "What?"

"That's a text book!"

"So?"

"So I order you to put that away." She yanked the book out of her hands, tossed it on the ground and pulled her up out of the chair. "We're on vacation. You need to rest your whole self. That includes your mind."

Alice held her hand and led her down the path onto the dirt road and down to the beach.

"Alice, stop. Where are you taking me?"

"Rose rented a canoe. Oh, there she is." Alice waved and Rose waved back.

Bella's heart pounded when she saw Rose holding three life vests and two paddles in her hands.

"You can't be serious. Do you guys even know how to paddle a canoe?"

Rose handed her one of the paddles. "Nope, but that's why you're here."

Bella glanced from Rose to Alice and her heart sank. They both looked so excited. She couldn't disappoint them. "I'll sit in the back and steer if you guys paddle up front."

Alice clapped and jumped up and down. "Yay! Okay, I'll sit up front first."

The two of them climbed inside and when she didn't, they both looked up at her.

"Why aren't you getting in?" Alice's eyes widened and she looked a little panic-stricken.

"Someone has to push us into the water."

"I can do that."

Bella turned around and the creeper stood behind her. The sun made the blond highlights in his brown hair glimmer and she thought about what Rose said about him not washing it. She bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. "Thanks, but I've got it."

She buckled the last buckle on her life vest, grasped the metal sides of the canoe and pushed off. The canoe eased into the water, she climbed in and grabbed her paddle.

Alice paddled from one side to the other while she used hers as a rudder to steer them away from shore and the creeper.

Curiosity got the best of her and she turned her head back to the shore. Creeper-boy had gone over to the boat house but hadn't taken his eyes off them. The moment he caught her gaze, he waved.

"Jerk."

"What was that?" Rose glanced over her shoulder at her.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

Alice was right. She needed this. To be out in nature with nothing but the sound of the birds, the smell of the pine trees and the touch of cool lake water every time it dripped on her bare legs when she switched sides with her paddle. It felt great to work her muscles especially after the long drive.

Rose and Alice changed places when they got out into the middle of the lake. How they didn't tip the canoe doing that, she'd never know, but they managed it. Rose paddled as Bella steered them into shore an hour later. She gathered the life vests and paddles to bring them back to the boat house because Alice and Rose saw the two geeks they met at the office and took off after them. Creeper-boy wasn't there, thank God. Hopefully he got the message she wasn't interested and went off to stalk someone else.

The kid behind the counter thanked her for returning the items and she turned to go back to her site when she ran into a chest — a man's chest with dark, curly hair sticking out from the open collar of the blue shirt with the Camp Cullen logo over the left pocket. She recognized it as the same shirt _he_ wore.

She looked up and squinted. His hair didn't seem that dirty now that she stood up close and personal. "Is there something you want?"

"No. I'm helping the DJ set up for the beach party tonight and you're standing where I have to put the tables." "Oh." How ridiculous she must've sounded. She really thought he kept showing up wherever she was because he ... wow. She really did need this rest. "Sorry. I forgot you work here."

"My family owns this place." His tone was soft and he sounded almost embarrassed to admit that, but it all made sense now. The reason he was at the office, rode the golf cart, and now the beach.

"So those guys?" She nodded toward the two geeks with her best friends.

"My brothers," he said then smiled and glanced away, no doubt thinking she was just a simpleton for not figuring all of this out on her own.

"Okay, well, I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing."

What else could she say? She felt like a moron on so many levels. She slinked by him to get back to her campsite and read her book.

"Hey, Bella?"

Cullen's voice caressed her name in such a way, she changed direction and walked back to him. "Yeah?"

"Will you be at the dance party tonight?"

She snorted. "No. Dancing is not my thing. Walking really isn't my thing either. I'm terribly clumsy."

He raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"No, really. Ask my friends." Why did she feel the need to plead her case to him?

"You managed to pitch a tent, set up camp and canoe across the lake without incident. I think you underestimate yourself."

His voice oozed over her and made her shiver in the hot summer sun.

"Yeah. Well, I'm not sure about the dance party. It'll be a last minute decision."

He nodded. "I just thought I'd mention it. It's a great time."

Bella stared up at him and again he looked away but kept that shy smile. "Will _you_ be dancing, Cullen?"

He laughed out loud. "I won't be dancing, but I'll be down here ... supervising. And it's Edward."

"Well, maybe I'll see you then. Edward."

He dipped his head affirmatively. "The DJ needs my help."

The DJ stood there holding a huge speaker and Edward took it from him and placed it on the counter of the boat house. A pang of disappointment jabbed her stomach, but why? She didn't know this guy.

Whatever it was, she wouldn't stand there and dwell on it. She had some relaxing to do and had every intention of starting that right now.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Edward drove the golf cart down the dirt road to the beach and thought about Bella, like he'd done all afternoon. Every time she sucked in her bottom lip between her teeth he had the urge to kiss her.

He hadn't had thoughts like those for a long time. Then again, he hadn't been interested in a woman since ... well, in too long. It sounded stupid, that a twenty-four year old guy needed to talk to his mother, but she'd be the only one to tell him why he was thinking like this.

He got to the top of the beach and before he drove down the sandy embankment toward the water, he glanced up at Bella's site.

She sat at the picnic table reading. She licked her finger and turned the page then quickly hooked a loose strand of hair behind her ear — a very normal thing that women did all the time. So then why did it stir something deep inside him? He shook his head and continued down the hill toward the party.

Just as Edward expected, his brothers got together with Bella's friends and disappeared, leaving him alone to man the party. For the most part, all the campers behaved themselves and the DJ played the last song promptly at 10:55 p.m. By 11:15, everyone vacated the beach and went back to their campsites.

He helped the DJ tear down then load his equipment into the back of his pickup truck. Edward watched the DJ slowly drive up the sandy hill until it met the dirt road of the campground. Once the truck was gone, he quickly glanced up to Bella's site and his heart sputtered.

She stood there, her arms causally dangling over the wood fence. In the light of her campfire, he saw her eyes on him and she smiled.

"I guess a business owner's work is never done."

"No, especially when your brothers are nowhere to be found."

"They invited Rose and Alice up to your house."

"So what are you doing?"

She shrugged. "I was thinking of grabbing a blanket to come down there and do some star gazing."

"No one's allowed on the beach after dark."

"I'm not going in the water. I'm just going to lie on a blanket and look up at the sky."

She bit her lip again and his stomach whirred like it did when he saw her reading. "Grab your blanket and meet me by the boat house."

The moon was only a sliver, so it didn't lend much light but minutes later he saw the beam of her flashlight coming toward him.

She stood next to him holding a blue and white plaid blanket. The boat house's small light illuminated her face offering him a view of her pretty brown eyes.

"All set?"

Bella looked around behind her. "Why can't we just spread the blanket right here?"

"I think you'll like it over here."

She stood her ground and just stared up at him. "Look, I don't know you and, um, my friends ... "

Edward heard the hesitation in her voice and rubbed a hand through his hair. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Over here we'll be far enough away from the light of the boat house to see the stars better."

She appeared to weigh her options. "Do you promise to behave yourself?"

He held up three fingers. "Scouts honor."

"Then lead the way Mr. Cullen."

He started off behind the boat house toward the far end of the beach. "It's Edward."

"Okay. _Edward_. Does your family call you Eddie?"

Just the sound of that made him laugh. "No. My mother wouldn't hear of it."

Bella snickered. "Why not?"

"You'd have to know my mother. She's very old-fashioned I guess you could say."

The boat house still lent enough light that he could see where they were going without needing a flashlight. He stopped and held out his hands, she handed him the blanket and he spread it out over the sand. She lay down, stretched out and put her arm behind her head.

"You should lie back. Your neck will hurt looking up like that."

He made himself comfortable sitting next to her.

"Are you okay?" Bella sat up on her elbows to look at him.

"Yeah. So why do you do this?"

She lay back down. "I've always found it fascinating that when I look up at the sky at home in Washington or here in Maine it's the same sky my Mom looks at in Florida. I'm a little crazy like that," she laughed.

"That's not crazy at all."

"I thought about majoring in astronomy at Dartmouth."

Edward gave a low whistle. "Dartmouth. Wow. So what is your major?"

"Art history with an English minor. I figure if I can't get a job with an art history degree I can probably teach somewhere."

Edward stared up at the stars and tried to not let what Bella said affect him. She didn't wear make-up, she wore jeans and a tee shirt then pitched a tent, paddled a canoe and built a fire. She certainly didn't come across as being pretentious so her being Ivy League surprised him.

"What about you Ed?"

"What about me?"

"Do you go to school?"

"No. I'm thinking about going back, though."

"Why did you stop?"

"It's a long story." He'd leave it at that.

"Well, I'm a firm believer in finishing what you start so you have no regrets later. What were you going to school for?"

"Forestry, but now I'm not sure. Hey, aren't the Perseid meteor showers tonight?"

He heard her chuckle. "Smooth move, Ed."

"What?"

"The way you changed the subject. If you don't want to talk about something, tell me and we'll avoid it."

"Are you always this straight forward?"

He looked down at her and saw her smile.

"Some would argue I'm too straight forward. I don't see the point in beating around the bush. Is there anything else you don't want to talk about?"

He shrugged. "Relationships and my past."

"Relationships suck, so I totally understand."

Bella was right about his neck starting to hurt so he laid back but kept a respectable distance in between them.

"Yeah, I don't think true love is in the cards for me," he said.

"Me either. Do you think there is such a thing?"

"If you saw my parents, you'd know there is."

"That's nice. My parents divorced when I was young. My mom remarried, but not my dad. I think she broke him."

"My parents are in love with love," he snickered.

Bella giggled. "You're a funny guy."

He laughed. That was the first time anyone had ever told him that. Probably because it had been a very long while since he shared a laugh with anyone. He was usually too busy beating himself up for his past mistakes. Letting loose a little felt pretty good.

"So Ed, what do you do in your down time?"

"Down time? What's that?" he chuckled.

"All work and no play makes Eddie a boring boy."

He had to think about that and the answer scared him. He worked all the time to keep his mind off other things.

"Is that Cassiopeia?" he pointed to the constellation on horizon.

"You're doing it again."

"What?"

"Changing the subject."

When he glanced down, Bella had turned on her side, rested her head on her hand and stared up at him.

"I guess I don't do much for fun," he admitted.

"Don't be embarrassed about it. I'm just trying to make conversation."

"Then let's talk about you."

"There's not much to tell. I grew up in Washington, I already told you my parents divorced when I was young. I graduated high school then came to the East Coast for college."

She rolled onto her back and as they both looked up a star streaked across the sky and left a white tail behind it that faded back to black.

"I hope you made a wish," she whispered.

"Did you?"

"Of course. I always do."

He smiled. Bella attended a prestigious school like Dartmouth, yet she still believed in making wishes on shooting stars. As he listened to the sound of the lake gently lapping at the shore, he wondered what she wished for.

"How come relationships are so complicated?" she asked in a soft voice.

"I don't think they're supposed to be. Are you in one now?"

For some reason, he had to know.

"No. It ended a couple of months ago. I guess it's my own fault for moving across the country. It's impossible to have a long distance relationship."

She got quiet again and when he stole a glance at her, she

swiped her arm across her face then dropped it back on the blanket next to his. He knew she was crying but didn't know what to say or do to make her feel better and his arm suddenly felt on fire as it lay next to hers.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Sure. Why?"

"I can feel the heat coming off your body. You don't feel feverish?"

"No," she said and moved away from him.

Strange. There was no humidity in the air and for the first time in a week it had cooled down at night. He would've thought she'd be cold.

"So how long do you usually star gaze?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I fall asleep and other times I get lost in thought. Why?"

"Just making conversation."

She snorted and a smile tugged up at the corners of his mouth. He liked her easy going manner.

"So Edward, where are your parents now?"

"My Dad took my mom away on a three month Mediterranean cruise for their 25th wedding anniversary."

"That's so sweet. I don't think I'll ever have that with anyone."

"Sure you will. Just because it didn't work out with ... what's his name?"

"Jake ... Jacob." She sighed. "I'll never meet someone who will understand me like Jake does."

"Never is a very long time."

The breeze blew over them and Edward inhaled her scent, a mix of woodsy campfire and a hint of the sweet honeysuckle he smelled when she walked by him earlier.

Bella sat up abruptly. "I should head back to my site."

"Yeah, I should turn in," he stretched and stood.

Bella picked up the blanket and he took it from her.

"Why don't you go stand over there so when I shake this, you don't get sand in your eyes?"

He shook it, folded it and handed it to her along with the flashlight. He accompanied her back to her site without as much as a word between them. The fire burned low in the fire pit at her campsite and her friends were still nowhere to be found. He added a two pieces of wood to the fire and they both watched as the flames licked around the logs.

"I guess I'll go chase your friends out of my house. Would you like to accompany me?"

"I don't think so. I'm going to sit here and watch the fire then go to bed."

He was surprised how his heart fell in disappointment. Another sign he needed to consult with his mother about these feelings.

He shoved a hand through his hair. "Okay. You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for being such a gentleman and walking me home. Your mother should be proud."

"I'll tell her you said so," he smiled.

Without warning, she reached over and kissed him very lightly on his cheek.

"What was that for?"

"For listening. You're a good guy."

She stood there in the glowing light of the fire and he suddenly had the urge to cup her cheeks in his hands and kiss her on the mouth. He imagined carrying her into her tent, making passionate love then lying in each other's arms as they listened to the crickets and other sounds of the campground at night.

Those images scared the shit out of him.

Carrying her off to her tent like some caveman wouldn't make him such a good 'friend.'

"Sleep tight, Bella."

He spun on his heel and practically ran back to his golf cart.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Bella bolted up in her sleeping bag, panting. Her nightshirt clung to her damp chest, her hair to her sweaty forehead.

"Bella?"

Alice sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm okay. Just another bad dream."

"Who was chasing you this time?"

Rose stirred and mumbled, "Probably that creeper. He's enough to give me nightmares, too."

Bella smiled. "Don't say that. Edward's a nice guy. At least he didn't lure me to his house and get me drunk to have his way with me."

Alice threw a pillow at her. "Hey! Jasper didn't lure me or try to get me drunk. He was a perfect gentleman."

"That's because Edward came back before either one of them had the chance. He's such a fun-sucker," Rose said.

Bella laughed. "You shouldn't be having sex with guys you just met."

"Who said anything about sex? We were barely making out."

"I don't know what they were doing," Alice interrupted, "but Jasper and I were playing a killer game of Monopoly. I was winning too, when Edward came back and made us leave."

"Whatever," Rose rolled away from them. "I'm going back to sleep. The sun isn't even up yet."

Bella sat up to peek out of the tent window. Birds heralded the morning and the sky brightened. She grabbed her clothes. "I'm going for a run. I'll be back later."

Alice's sappy brown eyes told Bella she was worried.

"I'm okay, Al."

"Are you sure?"

"Let me rephrase that. I'll _be _fine."

Alice nodded. "Be careful."

"I always am."

Bella unzipped the tent and made her way outside. She stretched and inhaled the smell of pine and the faint scent of wood burning.

She sat on the bench of the picnic table tying her sneakers, and as usual, her first real thought of the day was of Jacob and the last conversation they had.

"Did you imprint on her?" Bella asked him three times before he shouted, "Yes!"

He practically growled at her when he said it.

Jacob imprinted on his new girlfriend, leaving absolutely no hope of the two of them ever getting back together. His whole life would be devoted to whoever _she_ was. There'd be no room for Bella in his heart, not the way she wanted she wanted to be, anyway. Friendship, maybe, but never as a couple.

She walked west, from her campsite, toward the heavily wooded part of the campground. Thinking of Jake made her adrenaline race and her heart pound.

"It's over, Bella," he'd said. "I'm sorry, but it's not something I can control."

A wolf couldn't control imprinting, but it didn't make the entire situation hurt any less. Tears blinded her eyes as she jogged toward the woods. Her body stretched taut with every nerve ending tingling as emotion coursed through her. Once deep enough in the woods, she divested herself of her clothes, hid them under some brush, sprinted into a run and changed into her wolf form.

Running wouldn't take away the pain, but somehow helped her deal with it. She leaped effortlessly over fallen trees, bushes and boulders. She listened to the wind whistling past her ears. It's what freedom felt like. No limits, no constraints.

Being a wolf meant she could cry out without any human hearing her. And lately, she had no idea why, her mind had broken free of being connected with the other wolves in her pack. At first, she didn't care to be alone in this whole ever-changing wolf thing, but now she liked not having to listen to any of them.

She kept up her brisk pace, no need to stop. The run was cathartic, and the need to growl, howl and snarl came from deep down inside her. It was a complete release.

_Imprinting._ Jake had tried to explain it, but still, she didn't get it. Jake told her she wouldn't. Not until she experienced it herself. But would that ever happen?

When they first started dating, he'd told her he hadn't imprinted on anyone, including her. She obviously hadn't imprinted on him either, and understood that some wolves never do. She'd silently hoped that would be the case with her and Jake.

Pain tore through her chest as she thought about never being with him again. A wolf's body had accelerated healing, yet she couldn't imagine that would fix her broken heart.

She finally slowed her long strides. She could keep going until she reached Canada, but didn't want to get too far away from her friends, especially since Alice looked so worried.

Bella-wolf made her way down a steep hill, to drink from the lake. The early dawn broke on the horizon and the humid air made fog rise up from the water. Every new day brought hope and promise. That's what Alice always told her, anyway.

Bella turned on her paws and galloped back up the hill, into the woods. She took her time, lumbering back, still in her wolf form. Her thoughts turned back to Jacob and she shook her head. She had to get over him. That would be the healthy thing to do. At least that's what her head told her. She chose not to listen to her heart.

The run helped. It made her mind clearer and she could focus. She stayed in her wolf form until she spied her clothes again.

She walked a few feet and heard leaves rustle ahead. The noise stopped so she padded forward once again.

_"Bella."_

She stood perfectly still, paralyzed by the familiar voice. Slowly she moved her head and sniffed the air. She smelled him first then saw him.

Her heart jumped in her throat at the sight of Harry Clearwater. She hugged him close, like she'd hug Charlie. Why wouldn't she? When she shifted the first time, she was more than a little freaked out. Harry understood how she felt in ways Charlie never could.

"How did you know I was here?"

He didn't answer but she didn't care. She hugged him again, forcing him to squeak as she squeezed the air out of him.

"I'm so happy to see you."

"I'm surprised, Bella. I would've thought you'd have found me here sooner."

The two began walking.

"What do you mean?"

"It's not a coincidence that you chose this campground out of all the others."

"It's not?"

"You know we're all psychically connected."

"Yeah, but I haven't heard the others for a couple of weeks now."

"You know the reason for that."

She nodded and her stomach twisted with hurt and disappointment. "They threw me out, Harry. Disowned me."

"You are still learning the wolf ways, Bella. Sam did what he had to do."

"So you agree with him."

Harry shoved his hands deep in the pocket of his jeans, in deep thought, like he was searching for the right words.

"I think the punishment was harsh, but to be fair, in the long history of the tribe, we have never come up against this before."

"But Jake agreed with my decision." Her voice raised up an octave the way it always did when she got emotional. "Why wasn't he kicked out?"

Harry stared at her. "He's the grandson of Ephraim."

"Wow. So you're saying wolves are just furry male chauvinists."

She saw the hint of a smile tug up the corners of Harry's mouth. "You can't deny the tribe's history, Bella."

"History, schmistory. You know what? I'm glad they kicked me out. Now I can do what I want, when I want and not have to listen to Sam or anyone else from the _tribe_."

"That's not entirely true."

With his hands behind his back, Harry walked ahead. Bella watched him. Did she really care what the tribe thought?

She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. God, she hated to admit it, but she did. They had been family.

"Why isn't that entirely true?"

Harry kept walking.

"Harry!"

He still wouldn't look at her and for an older guy, Harry moved pretty quickly. Bella ran to catch up.

"Are you saying that even though I'm no longer part of the pack, I'm still tied to them?"

"It's your birthright, Bella."

"Yeah, one I didn't ask for. If my mother hadn't cheated on my father with your brother Michael, I'd be just a normal girl."

Her anger came right to the surface and she fought everything inside her to not shift back to her wolf form.

"All of that is inconsequential. It happened and no one can change what you are. The best thing for you to do is accept it and move on with your life."

His words of wisdom suddenly struck a chord with her.

"They sent you here to watch me, didn't they?"

Harry gave her that impish grin again. "We have to protect our own."

"Even though I'm not part of the pack anymore? God, Harry, this all so confusing."

"Sam will reassess his decision in time."

"It's the only reason I chose Dartmouth, you know. I just wanted to get far away from all of them, short of leaving the country."

They ambled along in silence, like two friends just enjoying the summer weather. Like her whole life didn't hang in the balance.

"You have put our tribe to the test, Bella. Leah was the first girl to transform, but she's not as headstrong as you are. Sam has met his match."

She heard the laughter in Harry's voice.

"You love this drama, don't you, Harry?"

"I don't love it, but I think it's good for the pack. It's always good to keep the Alpha on his toes."

"I suppose — until he tries to maim or kill you, anyway."

Harry threw his head back laughing. "You have your father's sense of humor. How is Charlie these days?"

Bella shrugged. "He says he's fine, but I know he's lonely. If I move back there, does that mean you'll come back too?"

"Maybe. Sue and I do like it here, though. Maine reminds me of Washington in many ways."

As they walked back to Camp Cullen, they reminisced about the Quileute reservation at La Push. As a young girl, she'd sit on Charlie's lap while they visited Harry or Billy Black and listen to the stories of her elders. While most little girls her age were being told stories of Snow White and Cinderella, she was hearing, what she thought, were fairy tales of the Third Wife's Sacrifice and Taha Aki, the great Quileute warrior and chief.

Charlie knew about her mother's affair with Michael but also knew how important the tribe's history would be for her heritage. It was as essential as family was to him. The whole reason he chose to stay with Renee.

But Renee didn't share his feelings. She couldn't take life in Forks and left when Bella was four. Her mother insisted on taking her too, but the tribe pulled rank. Bella couldn't leave the pack, even though it couldn't be determined whether or not Bella would shift to a wolf. Michael had the gene like the other wolves, but for some reason, he never shifted.

Only time would tell if Bella would become a wolf or not. Shifting for girls was different than it was for boys. It took a major life-changing event to transform and neither Bella nor Jake ever saw that coming.

Bella enjoyed talking with Harry, but her feelings about the pack were mixed. To her mind, Sam was just a control freak. Everybody had to do what he said, or else. And now Bella no longer had to ask, 'or else what?'

She discovered the answer to that question when Sam threw her out a little over a year ago. Being disowned by a wolf pack was very much like becoming the black sheep of your family.

She thought she'd managed it okay. She still had Charlie, who thought she just moved away because she wanted to go to a great Ivy League school. And after just chatting with Harry, Forks is where she'd return after she got her degree. She needed to be near the one person who loved her for her.

She and Harry came out of the woods and back into the campground. The sun had come up but it was still early. She hugged Harry and promised to visit him later at the snack shack.

There was still no movement from Alice and Rose at her campsite, so she went down to the beach. Bella looked out to the lake. The sun was burning off the morning mist and a family of loons moved quietly through the water leaving quiet streams of water trails in their wake.

Movement from the dock caught her eye. Edward sat at the end of it. As she watched him, a weird, prickling sensation shot through her. It was different than what she felt when her body shifted to her wolf form.

Edward turned, as if he sensed her there. He waved and sudden warmth spread from her heart to the rest of her body, like fingers of molten lava trying to reach the sea.

She waved back and the earth felt like it tilted then spun beneath her. The next thing she knew, she was on her knees, the grains of sand digging into her skin. Images of Edward's face flashed in her mind. Their first meeting at the camp store, him staring at her as she paddled away in the canoe, and his sad expression when he said he didn't want to talk about his past.

She glanced up. Edward ran toward her.

"Bella!" he said quietly enough so he wouldn't wake the campground but loud enough so she could hear him.

"I'm fine. I'm just hungry. It's ... low blood sugar."

He was beautiful. The sun illuminated the streaks of blond in his hair making him look like he wore a halo and his compassionate green eyes did things to her she couldn't explain.

"Do you want me to help you up, or do you just want to sit here for a minute?"

His deep voice oozed empathy and made her shudder.

"I think I can get up on my own."

She struggled to stand. Edward got behind her and the second his arm snaked around her waist, life as she knew it was over. No one would have to try to explain imprinting to her ever again.

A/N - Hey everyone! Thanks for reading. I truly appreciate your comments. Like all of you, I'm a huge Twilight fan, so I know imprinting is done the minute the wolf sets eyes on the imprintee. But have no fear, Bella-Wolf fans…Bella imprinting on Edward the day after she first sees him will all be explained in an upcoming chapter. Stay tuned


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Bella had never been more mortified in her life. She hoped above all else she just imprinted and this wasn't some kind of crazy girl-crush.

Edward kept an arm around her waist as they walked slowly to the golf cart and he gently helped her inside.

"I'll drive you up to the snack shack and get you some orange juice. That should bring up your blood sugar."

She glanced over at him and their gazes entangled.

"Thanks, but I feel better already."

"You're hands are shaking and your perspiring. You're definitely not fine."

She couldn't explain to him why she felt so weird, but she might be able to give him a better reason why her 'blood sugar' could be out of whack.

"I just came back from a pretty intense run. I probably just overdid it."

He drove the cart up the hill. "Did you drink enough?"

"No. I'm probably dehydrated, too."

They arrived at the snack shack and he ran around the cart to help her out.

"Edward, you don't have to do this. People are staring."

A couple of campers headed up to the restrooms stopped and made her feel self-conscious as Edward treated her like an invalid.

He didn't listen. His arm stayed around her waist until they walked inside, behind the counter, past the stove and grill, and back to the kitchen. She sat on the stool as her knight in shining armor poured her orange juice.

Harry looked over Edward's shoulder and mouthed, "What's going on?"

Bella shrugged and took the glass from Edward.

"Harry, keep an eye on her for a minute."

Edward grabbed the eggs and the milk and marched back to the outer kitchen.

Harry made sure Edward was out of earshot before he came over to her.

"You look awful, Bella. What happened?"

Bella grabbed a fistful of Harry's tee shirt and brought him down to eye level. "I think I imprinted on him."

Harry's eyes grew wide. "But you met him yesterday?"

"Could it be possible? Jake always said it happened the second you lay eyes on the person. Is there something wrong with me? Maybe it really is just low blood sugar?"

She took a huge gulp of the orange juice.

Harry shook his head. "Tell me what happened."

"I saw him sitting at the end of the dock then he turned and waved to me. I lifted my hand to wave back and the earth spun me to the ground. I landed in the sand and my vision blurred for a second. Once Edward reached me —"

"Okay, that's enough. It sounds like you imprinted."

"How?"

"I don't know. Michael is your father and he never shifted to wolf-form. Maybe his genes are a little off."

"Off? That doesn't sound good." She bit her lip.

"All I'm saying is the two of you aren't like the others in the pack, so it's possible it just took you a little longer to imprint. A late bloomer, so to speak."

Bella looked out to the kitchen and watched Edward crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them.

"When you look at Edward now, what do you feel?"

She continued staring at him. His jeans fit snug around the important parts of him. He obviously knew his way around the kitchen the way he expertly scraped the sides of the pan. The warmth came back, but not the dizziness or the tilt 'o world spinning she felt before.

"He gives me the warm fuzzies." She couldn't stop herself from smiling.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Congratulations. You imprinted on Edward Cullen." He scrubbed a hand over his face and blew out an exasperated sigh.

Bella's heart plummeted. As far as she could tell, imprinting just meant you had a special fondness for the other person. "So this is bad?"

"It's complicated."

They both looked back at Edward. He plated the eggs and walked back to them.

"Here you go, Bella. A little protein should help."

He gave her a crooked smile and handed her the plate.

Bella polished off the eggs and handed him back the empty plate.

"Can I have more? That run really made me hungry."

He smirked. "I'll be right back."

The second he disappeared back to the kitchen, she called Harry back over.

"So what's so complicated?"

"For starters, you're a wolf and he's not."

"Duh. What else?"

"You'll want to be with him every waking hour of every day for the rest of your life."

She shrugged. "It sounds no different than people falling in love and getting married."

Harry stared at her. After several silent moments, he said, "He could refuse you."

Her heart landed in her stomach like a lead weight, right on top of those eggs she just ate. The thought that Edward could possibly reject her made the room spin. A dull ache started in her chest and she grasped the arms of the chair to steady herself.

"I get it now."

It hurt deep in her soul, like nothing she ever felt before, worse than Jake breaking her heart. If _thinking_ about Edward refusing her made her whole body weak, what would happen if he really did reject her?

"So what do I do? Do I tell him or just leave this place and try to forget him?" she whispered.

Harry looked back at Edward before he continued. "You won't be able to forget him if he doesn't refuse you. The need to be with him will be too strong."

"Like, how strong?"

Harry thought for a moment. "I guess it would be like being addicted to drugs."

"So, I'll be like a crack whore, unable to live my life without a hit of Edward?"

He laughed and shook his head. "That's a bad analogy, but yes. I like to think of it as, Edward is a magnet and you're the piece of metal that's constantly being pulled toward him. It won't be anything you can consciously help. It will just happen."

Bella glanced out at Edward again. She wanted him to be hers, forever. The thought made a shiver bolt up her spine.

"Then, I should tell him?"

Harry furrowed his eyebrows and looked as confused as she felt. "I don't know. That's a lot for a human to understand."

"You're right, especially since I just met him."

"Right. You should probably start slow by telling him you're a wolf, first. No, that won't work. He'll probably take off running after you explained that."

Bella snorted. "You're not helping me at all, you know."

"I know. I'll make a few calls and get back to you."

Sir Edward reappeared with more eggs and Bella almost hurled at the sight of them. The second his hand grazed hers as he handed the plate over, her whole body cried out with need for him. How would she be able to handle it if he didn't want her?

"Thanks."

Edward checked his watch. "Is there anything else you need?"

He was a sweetheart. He put his responsibilities on hold so he could tend to her. And from what little she knew of him, he took those duties very serious.

Edward shoved a hand through his hair and looked torn.

"Edward, you've done enough. You have a campground to run." It nearly killed her to say that.

"I have to open the store. Once Jasper comes in, I'll come back and bring you to my house so you can rest."

Harry stepped forward. "I'll keep an eye on her."

She saw relief flash in Edward's eyes.

"Thanks, Harry."

Edward grasped her hand and squeezed it. "I'll be back."

He left and Harry had to take an order. Alone, Bella stared at the eggs and promptly threw them in the trash. She had questions only Harry could answer.

Harry took the couple's breakfast order and they went outside to wait for their order to be done.

"This imprinting thing has turned me into a stalker. I'm fighting the urge to run up to the store to be with him."

"That's what imprinting is. You will do anything to protect the imprintee."

"But isn't that going to make me seem needy?"

Harry laughed as he flipped the pancakes and bacon on the griddle. "You're thinking too much like a human."

"Maybe because I am."

Harry shrugged. "You're a hybrid, that's for sure. I'll do my best to find out what I can about this."

"So everyone in the pack has imprinted on someone with wolf genes?"

"In one way or another. That's we no one ever leaves the tribe. You're the first."

"Go figure."

Bella waited as long as she could, but when Edward didn't come back after fifteen minutes, she went to the camp store.

Edward was on his knees in front of the refrigerator case, stocking milk.

Harry was right. Her immediate response was to get closer to him. She fisted her hands and fought the urge with everything she had inside her.

"Thanks for coming in a little earlier, Jazz," Edward said without turning around.

"I'm not Jazz."

Edward spun around and she grabbed the counter to keep herself from running to him. She smiled then waved. "Hi."

"Bella, I thought I told you I'd be right back? You shouldn't be up walking around."

"I feel a lot better."

"Please tell me you at least drove up here," he reprimanded, yet sounded concerned at the same time.

She nodded.

"As soon as my brother shows up, I'll take you to my house. You can lie down on my bed."

She felt her face flush just thinking about lying in his bed. "No really, I'm fine. Is there something I can do here?"

He laughed. "We don't employee the guests here, Bella."

"Consider it payback for nursing me back to health."

He had a beautiful smile.

"Take that seat behind the counter. I'm almost done here."

Minutes later he joined her.

"You really gave me a scare down there. Does that happen very often?"

"No, never."

"You should get checked out. There's a walk-in clinic down in Windsor, about three or four miles from here."

"I'm fine now."

"You don't look fine. Your face is very red." With the back of his hand, he felt her forehead. "You're burning up."

Her body all but cried out for him, when he took his hand away.

"It's also 80 degrees with near 100% humidity."

He grinned. "You have an answer for everything, don't you?"

The bells over the door jingled. Jasper walked in and yawned. His hair stuck up all over the place. His eyes looked blood red from lack of sleep as he went right to the coffee maker, stuck in a K cup and pushed the button.

"What's this big emergency, Edward?"

"It's me. Sorry," Bella said.

Jasper tipped his head up in greeting to her. When he turned back to Edward he cocked an eyebrow and a slow smile spread across his face. "So this is a _love_ emergency."

Bella watched as Edward smiled and shook his head. "Bella had a crazy dizzy spell. I'm going to bring her home so she can rest comfortably."

Jasper grabbed his coffee then walked behind the counter.

"Where's Alice?"

"Neither she nor Rose was awake yet. And I left my phone down there so they don't even know where I am."

Jasper pulled his cell out of his jeans pocket. "I'm on it. You go relax at Case de Cullen and I'll make sure Alice and Rose know where to find you."

Bella thanked him again and slid off the stool. Edward was right there, holding her elbow in one hand and her hand in the other.

"Edward, I can walk. I don't need your help."

She took two steps and he grasped her hand in his. Heat rocketed through her veins and almost knocked her to the floor. Bella stopped and looked down at their joined hands.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing." She wouldn't tell him she could barely breath with him standing so close.

They walked across the parking lot to the Cullen's log cabin in silence. They reached the back door and he held it for her.

"Are you always this gentlemanly?"

"My father was a great teacher. That and my mother would slap us if we didn't treat a girl right."

"That is so sweet."

Bella stepped into the house and looked around.

"Wow. This is beautiful."

"My parents would be glad to hear that. They designed it themselves and are very proud of it."

Bella was in awe. The living room had an open floor plan on the bottom level and a massive stone fireplace went up to the second and third floor lofts, which overlooked the first floor.

"Would you like a tour?"

"Of course."

They started at the fireplace.

"This thing is massive," she said, feeling the stones. Heat radiated as she splayed her hands over the rough textures. She'd have to remember to ask Harry if that was another wolf side-effect. Jake told her they were one with the earth, but sometimes, she had a hard time believing the tales of tribe.

"My mother wanted it to be the centerpiece of the room."

"She succeeded."

"All the stones and rocks came from right here at the campground."

"Amazing."

She walked toward the stairs and Edward's hand was in hers again.

"Come on. I'll show you the upstairs."

They reached the second floor landing and Edward pulled her along, still holding her hand. They stopped in front of a door.

"This is Jasper's room."

Bella peeked inside. It was nothing special. It had an unmade double bed, dresser, and two guitars in the corner.

"Here's Emmett's room."

Edward side-stepped and Bella looked in. The shades were still drawn but the light from the hall lit it up enough to see Emmett sprawled across his bed diagonally. His chest was naked, but the sheets covered the rest of him. And he snored loudly.

Edward explained there was a bathroom at the end of the hall as he towed her up the next flight of stairs. There was a guest loft bedroom that overlooked the first floor, which anyone would be lucky to use.

Edward walked on to the next room. Instead of stopping in front of the door, he went inside. She followed, like she had since the tour began. The second she crossed the threshold, images filled her mind, throwing her off-balance.

"Bella!"

Edward caught her before she hit the floor.

The room spun and she heard herself moan. Oh, this was not good. Not good at all.

Edward carried her to his bed and she closed her eyes, hoping the images would disappear.

They were so vivid — Edward kissing her, Edward smiling at her. Her mind flashed and she looked down into his gorgeous green eyes as he lay beneath her in his bed.

Bella quickly opened her eyes to come back to reality and Edward was gone. She struggled to sit up, to regain her equilibrium and he was back, shoving a glass into her hand.

"Drink this."

She took a sip and handed it back. "I'm okay."

"No, you're not. I'm going to take you to the hospital."

He put his arms underneath her and she balked.

"Edward, no!" She hadn't meant to scream it.

He stopped and sat at the edge of the bed.

If she told him the truth, he'd definitely take her to the hospital — the psych ward. And exactly what was the truth? Harry had to find out before she blabbed it to Edward.

She caught him staring at her. His eyes were wide with fear. He genuinely cared about her and the thought made her whole body hot again.

Bella brought her hand up to his cheek and a sudden calm came over her.

"What is it, Bella?"

"Edward, you'll just have to trust me. What's happening is perfectly normal. Perfectly normal, for me anyway."

"You're freaking me out."

He took her hand off his cheek and kissed it. The visions swirled again. She bit her lip hard to control them. So hard, she tasted blood.

"It happened again, didn't it? The dizziness."

He handed her a tissue for her lip.

Bella couldn't stop staring into his eyes. "I really like you Edward."

He have her that crooked smile. "I like you, too."

"Did Harry tell you we know each other?"

"You know Harry Clearwater?" The poor guy looked confused.

"I have since I was born."

"And you both came here. It's a small world."

_If he only knew._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Edward held his phone against his ear and paced the hallway outside his bedroom. He stopped to peek inside the room and watched Bella sleeping in his bed.

"Edward, does she have any other symptoms?"

"No. Not as far as I can tell - just these dizzy spells that throw her to the ground."

Carlisle Cullen retired from his medical practice last year, but just because he closed his office didn't mean he wasn't still a doctor.

"She could be pregnant. Sometimes pregnancy hormones can make a woman dizzy."

Edward stopped pacing and leaned up against the wall.

"Pregnant?"

"Is she in a relationship?"

"No. She said she just got out of one."

"Have her do a pregnancy test. The first trimester is very important, so she should get to a doctor if the test is positive."

"I'll tell her."

"Okay. Take care son, and we'll see you next week. Here's your mother again."

His parents called once a week. The call was usually quick, just updating them on mundane business stuff. But today he had a lengthy conversation with about his personal life and she agreed with him. It was time to move on. He obviously felt something for Bella and he needed to explore those feelings.

"Edward, we have to board the ship again. Is there anything else or are we good until your father and I get home?"

"We're good. Thanks."

"Okay. Send my love to Jazz and Emmett and give them hugs for me."

Edward rolled his eyes. He would most definitely _not_ do that.

He pushed the end button on his phone, turned to walk back into his room and ran into Bella.

"Bella, what are you doing out of bed?"

"I'm not pregnant. And for the record, I don't appreciate you sharing my problems with your parents."

He rubbed a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. You're sure you don't want to do a pregnancy test just to be sure?"

"I'm _not_ pregnant."

"I guess you would know, right?" he joked, trying to lighten the mood between them. She was right. He shouldn't be sharing her personal issues with his parents. "I'm just worried about you. I only asked my father because he's a doctor."

She sucked in her bottom lip and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Thanks, but I'm not sick or pregnant."

"You're welcome. Hey, that short rest has given you color back in your cheeks."

Bella blushed and turned away.

"Are you hungry?"

"Not really. Look, Edward, I started to tell you something before I fell asleep and I want to finish, but I want Harry to be there."

"Why?"

"What I have to tell you is complicated."

"Well that doesn't sound ominous at all."

She snickered. "What time does Harry leave the snack bar?"

Edward glanced at his watch. "In an hour."

"Meet me at Harry and Sue's camper in an hour."

Bella hurried down the hall to the stairs, not giving him the chance to catch up. His heart sank when she never even looked back at him.

Edward walked slowly down the stairs, meeting Emmett on the second floor landing. He followed his brother down to the kitchen. Neither one of them spoke a word until after Emmett downed a bottle of orange juice.

"Was that Bella?"

"Yeah."

"She was in your room?"

Emmett smirked and tried to fist bump him.

"I didn't bring her home for _that_. She's sick."

"What's she got?"

"I don't know. Did her friends mention anything about her being sick?"

"No. Then again, Rose and I didn't do a lot of talking, if you know what I mean." Emmett winked and Edward's stomach rolled.

"Come on, Edward. Don't give me that condescending look. All we did was make out."

"I don't care what you do, just treat her right. Not only is Rose Bella's friend, she's a guest. I don't want to listen to another lecture from Dad about breaking the hearts of the girls who stay here."

"Is that who you were talking to on the phone?"

"Yeah, they're coming home next week."

Emmett finished his orange juice and went back to the fridge. He pulled out some deli meat, tomatoes, lettuce and mayo. After he placed all of that on the counter, he went to the bread box and grabbed two rolls.

"So, you like her?"

Edward shrugged. "What I know about her, I like. She said she knows Harry and Sue."

Emmett piled the sliced turkey on the roll and slathered on the mayo. "The Clearwaters?"

"Yeah. She said she's known them since she was a kid."

"Small world, huh?"

"That's what I said."

Emmett stuffed a few tomato slices in between the meat and the lettuce then took a huge bite. "They're all from Washington."

"Yeah." Edward winced. "Do you have to talk with your mouth full?"

Emmett grinned and chewed. He swallowed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Rose said they've been besties since school."

"Did she say anything else about Bella?"

"Nah. Alice said they were worried about her, though. Something about a break-up and having to leave her family."

"Bella had to leave her family?"

Emmett nodded as finished that sandwich and started on the second one. He polished off that one in three bites then went back to the fridge.

"Make sure you clean your mess."

The last Edward wanted was to come back in the house and see perfectly good food spoil because Emmett was too lazy to put it back.

"Oh, I almost forgot."

He walked over to his brother and gave him a bear hug, making sure to squeeze him as hard as he could, just to get a rise out of him.

He and Emmett were about the same height, but Emmett had more brawn and promptly pushed Edward away.

"What the fuck, Edward!"

"That's from Mom."

Edward grinned and left.

He checked on Jasper at the store. Everything there was fine so he climbed in the golf cart and drove down to the Clearwater's site.

They had a nice rig - a newer fifth wheel camper with a diesel dual-wheel pick-up, to travel in comfort. Harry and Sue loved the Pacific Northwest, but they both enjoyed seeing the rest of the country.

Sue sat outside in the screened in porch in a wicker rocking chair, reading.

"Edward, hi."

"Bella asked me to meet her here."

"It's fine. Come in."

He walked in and she handed him a glass of iced tea.

"What's new?"

"Not much. I talked to my parents. They're having a great time."

They made small talk, while Edward shook his leg up and down, anxiously waiting for Bella to show up, unable to imagine what this whole thing was about.

Harry's bellowing laughter echoed through the trees as he and Bella walked up to the camper interrupting Sue's diatribe about her daughter Leah and her choice of boyfriends. Thank God. Sue was a nice lady, but she could talk your ear off.

Bella came in first and Edward's stomach tightened. She was so pretty, from her warm, brown eyes to her chestnut hair. He stood and offered her his chair.

She refused it, choosing to stand next to Harry instead. He watched as her facial expression went from happy to very serious.

"Edward, before we start, I want you to know, I'm not in agreement with Bella on this."

"With what?"

Edward's heart sped up.

"With the discussion we're about to have," Bella shot Harry a sharp look.

"I don't understand," Edward shook his head.

"Have a seat. You're going to want to be sitting for this," Bella said.

"Whatever it is, just say it," he said, sitting back down.

Bella began to pace and biting her lip again.

"My dizzy spells aren't because I'm sick. They're because I imprinted on you. Because I'm part wolf and part human."

Edward released the breath he'd been holding. All he heard was, _imprinted, wolf_ and _human_.

"Come again?" he said, hoping he didn't hear her correctly.

Bella came over and kneeled down in front of him. She placed her hands on his thighs and stared into his eyes.

"I'm part wolf. I know it sounds insane, but just hear me out, okay?"

He nodded. What choice did he have?

Bella explained that her biological father was from a tribe of Indians who had the genetic makeup to morph into wolves. The imprinting thing was somehow part of that gene.

"Edward, please say something." Bella's lip quivered like she was about to cry.

He glanced over at Harry and Sue. "This is how you know each other?"

Harry nodded. "Bella's biological father is my older brother."

"So you're a wolf too?"

"Yes. I imprinted on Sue when I was much younger."

Edward looked over at Sue. "And how did you react when he told you?"

"I grew up in the tribe. I don't have the gene, but it wasn't a shock to me. Edward, imprinting isn't a bad thing. It sounds crazy, but it's not bad."

She turned to Harry and they both smiled.

Bella's hands were so hot they were making his thighs sweat.

"Why weren't you in agreement with Bella telling me this?"

"Because Bella's genes are different from the rest of us. Her mother wasn't part of the tribe and Michael never shifted into a wolf. There are many unanswered questions."  
>"Like what?"<p>

"Like if Bella's imprinting is the same as the rest of ours. We imprint for life, unless the imprintee rejects us."

He glanced down at Bella again. "I'm the imprintee?"

"You're _my_ imprintee," she smiled brightly.

His head spun. If Harry wasn't such a trusted friend, he'd call them all insane.

"So what does this all mean?"

Harry and Bella exchanged glances.

"The ball is your court now, Edward," Harry said. "Bella has imprinted on you. In normal wolves it means she'll be yours forever, unless you decide you don't want her."

"Because being a wolf is so normal, right?" he said, and immediately regretted his sarcastic comment.

He scrubbed his hands over his face. He couldn't believe he was having this conversation.

His eyes met Bella's.

"So I have to marry you?"

Bella laughed. "No. Not unless you want to."

"You're dizzy spells?"

"It's what you do to me."

She blushed and his stomach tightened again. He couldn't deny he had feelings for her, but all this imprinting talk made it sound so permanent and he definitely wasn't ready for that.

"Bella, I think Edward needs some time to think about this," Sue said.

Bella stood. Her eyes softened and she looked disappointed but nodded in agreement with Sue.

"I'm sorry I had to spring this on you. Imprinting makes me want to be around you constantly. I thought you should I'm not stalking you. It's just that I can't help it."

He knew she was sincere, but Sue was right. He needed time to digest all of this.

"If I have questions, who should I ask?"

Harry came forward. "Any of us can help you."

Edward nodded and lifted his gaze back to Bella. He wanted to touch her, to let her know he wasn't outright refusing her. He also didn't want to lead her on, so he left without saying or doing anything.

He drove the golf cart back home. On the desktop computer in the living room, he typed _imprinting_ in the search bar and watched the results come up on the screen.

He'd do his own research. If he still had unanswered questions, he'd go back to Harry. For now, he'd stay away from Bella.


End file.
